Fire-escape.



H; JOHNSON.

FIRE ESCAPE. I APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 1, 1909.

I 961,299. Patented June 14,1910.

1 as A 34 .3

W, dam #W ANDREW a GRAHAM co PnmuLnuosRAPHERS. WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS JOHNSON, OF SOUTH BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, I-IANs JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at 29 M street, South Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fire escapes.

More particularly it relates to improvements in safety devices for fire escape stairs which are permanently installed on the exterior of a building. Heretofore in such apparatus it has been customary to mount the lowermost section or flight of steps on a movable frame, this constituting the section which reaches to the ground. Such frame is movable between a raised position, which it occupies ordinarily, when not in use, in order to prevent unauthorized persons from ascending, and also in order not to occupy area on the ground, and a lowered position, leading to the ground. The present invention relates to improvements in the means and method of shifting the device between these two positions. Heretofore special devices such as fasteners, levers etc. have been provided to hold the steps raised, and the steps could be lowered only by some person having knowledge of the particular fastening and of its method of release. Few of the public or persons who might have occasion to use a fire escape have such special knowledge; and as such devices may he needed for use in darkness when even a skilled person cannot see to study out the mechanism, if unknown to him, it is one object of the invention to provide means for this section to automatically assume the position for use whenever any person approaches to use the same in the proper manner.

The objects of the invention are accomplished by the means hereinafter described, one embodiment of the invention being shown in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a side elevation, showing the apparatus raised; Fig. 2 is a portion of the same enlarged; Fig. 8 is a front elevation of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a further enlargement Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 1, 1909.

Patented June 14, 1910.

Serial No. 525,619.

of a detail, seen in section at the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, the view being perpendicular to the plane of section there indicated; Fig. 5 is a similar view of one of the parts shown in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a detail.

The apparatus represented in the drawings comprises a platform 10 and the upper portion 11 of a flight of steps which may be fixed to a building in any suitable way and are stationary in position; and comprises also a lower portion 12 which is pivoted at 13 at the bottom of the upper portion and is so balanced on pivot 13 that, when free to do so, it tilts from the horizontal position shown in Fig. 1, to form a continuation of the steps 11 to the ground. Ordinarily, when not in position for use, this section occupies the position seen in Fig. 1, in which its tendency to tilt about pivot 13 is restrained by a link or latch 14, pinned at 15 and provided with a notch 16 (Fig. 6) in which a stationary part on the portion 11 is adapted to engage.

The latch 14 is provided with a handle 18, by pulling which the latch may be disengaged, allowing the step portion 12 to tilt downward and form a'continuation of the steps on the portion 11. The part which the notch 16 engages is a plate 20 having a slot 19 through which the latch 14 passes, the

notch 16 engaging this piece at the end 17 of the slot. The plate 20 may be of any suitable shape; it is represented as a simple piece of angle iron bolted at 21 to the side piece 22 of the stationary portion 11 of the steps.

The invention includes automatic means for releasing this latch 14 and allowing the portion 12 to descend. The said means are adapted to be operated automatically by the weight of a person descending the steps 11. As illustrated, one of the steps 23 in the portion 11 is mounted pivotally at 24 and an arm 25 projects therefrom connected by a link 26 with a loop member 27 embracing the latch 14 as shown clearly in Figs. 4 and 1. A spring 28 tends to pull this loop down ward and thus tends to pull the latch 14 in the same direction, maintaining its notch 16 in engagement with the plate 20. When in this position, the step 23 is tilted as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When a person starts from the platform 10 to descend the steps 11, his weight depresses step 23 to a horizontal posi tion resting on stop pin 30. In so doing the arm 25 is swung upward drawing link 26 and loop member 27 upward thus drawing latch 14 upward and disengaging its notch 16 from plate 20. The steps 12 then swing downward about pivot 13 until they reach the position for use, in continuation of the steps 11. The person descending portion 11 may then continue comfortably to the ground. This is accomplished automatically, those who wish to descend not being required to possess any special knowledge as to how to operate the apparatus. The adjustment and setting into working position occurs as a result of their merely approaching the lower portion in a normal manner.

The handle 18 provides additional means by which the portion 12 can be lowered. Any person standing within reach of that handle and pulling it backward will release the latch 14, as previously described. To facilitate the movement when the notch is released, friction rollers 31 may be placed on the member 27, adapted to bear against the latch 14.

To return the steps 12 to the ordinary and non-operating position shown in Fig. 1 it is only necessary to lift the lower end of the steps, swinging them upward about pivot 13, this movement being aided by a balance weight 32 on the other side of the pivot. WVhen the proper position is reached the spring 28 draws latch 14 into engagement with plate 20 and locks the steps in nonoperative position, ready to be released antomatically at any time, as above described.

The invention is not limited to the particular form in which its application is here illustrated, and may be applied in a variety of ways without departing from the scope of the patent.

I claim:

1. The combination of a set of steps movable between a usable position and a raised, out-of-use position; the steps being adapted automatically to assume the usable position; a latch holding them in the out-of-use position; a movable part in the normal way of approach of a person to descend said steps, in a portion of the way before the steps are reached; said part being adapted to be engaged and moved by the weight of one approaching in a normal manner; and linkage connecting said part with the latch, whereby movement of said part releases said latch.

2. The combination of a set of steps movable between a usable position and a raised, out-of-use position; the steps being adapted automatically to assume the usable osit-ion; a latch holding them in the out-of-use position; a depressible section inthe footway in the normal way of approach of a person to descend said steps in a portion of the path before the steps are reached; said section being adapted to be moved by the tread of one approaching in a normal manner; and linkage connecting said section with the latch, whereby movement of said section releases said latch.

3. The combination of a set of steps movable between a usable position and a raised, out-of-use position; the steps being adapted automatically to assume the usable position; a latch holding them in the out-of-use position; a pivoted step and means normally raising the front thereof; a stop limiting the depression thereof; said pivoted step being in the normal way of approach of a person to descend said steps, in a portion of the way before the steps are reached; said pivoted step being adapted to be moved by the tread of one approaching in a normal manner; and linkage connecting said step with the latch, whereby movement of said step releases said latch.

4. The combination of a set of steps movable between a usable position and a raised, out-of-use position; the steps being adapted automatically to assume the usable position; a fixed member adjacent having a slot; a rod attached to the steps and passing through the slot and having a notch Whereby it is adapted to engage the fixed member when the steps are in said raised position constituting a latch; a movable part in the normal way of approach to descend said steps, adapted to be engaged by a person approaching; and linkage connecting said part with the latch, whereby movement of said part releases said latch.

5. The combination of a set of steps movable between a usable position and a raised, out-of-use position; the steps being adapted automatically to assume the usable position; a latch holding them in the out-of-use position; a depressible section in the floor in the normal Way of approach to descend said steps, adapted to be engaged by a person approaching; and linkage connecting said section with the latch, whereby movement of said section releases said latch; there being a spring tending to actuate the latch and to lift said depressible section.

6. The combination of a set of steps movable between a usable position and a raised, out-of-use position; the steps being adapted automatically to assume the usable position; a latch holding them in the out-of-use position; a movable part in the normal way of approach to descend said steps; adapted to be engaged by a person approaching;

and linkage connecting said part with the latch, whereby movement of said art releases the latch; there being in the linkage a loop in which said latch is engaged, and there being a spring acting on the linkage and opposing movement of said movable part in the direction for releasing the latch.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 28th day of October, 1909.

HANS JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

EVERE'I'I E. KENT, JOSEPH T. BRENNAN. 

